During Tuesday’s Apple event, the company unveiled its latest lineup of smartphones, highlighted by the newly released flagship devices: the iPhone 12 Pro, with a starting price of $999, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, beginning at $1099. These next-generation, 5G-compatible phones feature an all-screen Super Retina XDR display, the A14 Bionic chip, a Ceramic Shield front cover, a LiDAR Scanner, and the advanced camera system characteristic of the iPhone series.

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be offered in storage options of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, and will be available in four stainless steel finishes: graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue.

The integration of 5G technology is expected to be a significant draw for these devices, as the new network capabilities will deliver increased speeds, resulting in quicker downloads and uploads, enhanced streaming quality, more responsive gaming experiences, and faster app performance, among other benefits.

However, the initial demand for new 5G phones could be affected by the current coronavirus pandemic, which is creating financial difficulties for many, especially in regions like the U.S. where the virus continues to spread. Individuals working from home may also perceive less urgency to upgrade to the new technology, as their increased time spent indoors utilizing home Wi-Fi networks reduces the immediate need.

Apple states that in the United States, the iPhone 12 Pro models can achieve speeds of up to 4Gbps, even in areas with high population density. A “Smart Data” function will also facilitate a smooth transition to faster speeds by intelligently managing data usage and battery life in real-time.

Powering the new devices is the A14 Bionic chip, which includes a 16-core Neural Engine – Apple reports this provides an 80% performance increase. The chip is capable of performing 11 trillion operations per second and is both faster and more power-efficient than previous generations.

The new iPhones also present a revised aesthetic design.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max now feature a flat-edge design and an edge-to-edge OLED display with minimized borders. These “flatter” edges provide the devices with a more traditional appearance, recalling earlier iPhone models.

The Pro Max model boasts iPhone’s largest-ever screen and highest resolution, approaching 3.5 million pixels.

The rear of the new devices is constructed from matte glass, complemented by a stainless steel band around the edges. A new feature, termed “Ceramic Shield,” is introduced as a more durable front cover, intended to improve resistance to shattering. Apple claims this results in a 4x improvement in drop performance compared to the iPhone 11 Pro. (Further testing will be needed to confirm this claim.)

The iPhone 12 Pro models are also designed to be water resistant up to a depth of 6 meters for a duration of 30 minutes, meeting the IP68 rating standard.

The camera system remains a key consideration for those choosing the higher-end models.

This time, Apple attributes improvements to a new image signal processor (ISP) integrated within the A14 Bionic, and the introduction of “Apple ProRAW” later in the year. This format merges Apple’s multiframe image processing and computational photography capabilities with the flexibility of the RAW format. This allows users greater control over color, detail, and dynamic range, both directly on the iPhone and through third-party photo editing applications.

The iPhone 12 Pro features a new 7-element lens Wide camera with an ƒ/1.6 aperture, currently the fastest available on an iPhone, promising enhanced performance in low-light photography and video recording. The Ultra Wide camera offers a 120-degree field of view, while the Telephoto camera has a 52 mm focal length, providing a 4x optical zoom range.

The iPhone 12 Max further enhances capabilities with a 47% larger sensor featuring 1.7μm pixels, resulting in an 87% improvement in low-light performance, according to Apple. It also includes the Ultra Wide camera and a Telephoto camera with a 65 mm focal length, delivering a 5x optical zoom range.

Night mode has been expanded to include the TrueDepth and Ultra Wide cameras, and Night mode Time-Lapse now offers sharper videos, improved light trails, and smoother exposure when used with a tripod.

Deep Fusion is also now faster, and Smart HDR 3 is designed to produce more realistic-looking images, as stated by Apple.

For video recording, the new models support HDR video with Dolby Vision, up to 60 fps, and improved video stabilization. Users can also share their 4K Dolby Vision videos via AirPlay.

A new addition is the LiDAR Scanner, which is particularly relevant for augmented reality (AR) applications.

This improvement enables faster and more realistic AR experiences, with enhanced autofocus performance by 6x in low-light conditions. This could lead to the development of innovative new applications and features within existing apps, such as Snapchat filters. (Snapchat was briefly visible during the demonstration, though not specifically mentioned.)

A user-friendly feature introduced with the new iPhone models is MagSafe, which facilitates wireless charging and allows users to attach magnetic accessories, such as Apple’s new Leather Wallet with MagSafe. These accessories, along with the MagSafe Charger and iPhone 12 Pro Silicone Case and Clear Case, will be available starting October 16. Leather Cases will be available November 6. A MagSafe Duo Charger and Leather Sleeve will follow at a later date.

Pre-orders for iPhone 12 Pro begin Friday, October 16 at 5 AM PDT, with shipping commencing Friday, October 23. iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available for pre-order Friday, November 6 at 5 AM PST, and will be available in stores starting Friday, November 13.